City's PM10 levels drop 12% in seven years
According to the data presented by Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in the Lok Sabha, the average concentration of PM10 levels in Chennai dropped by 12.1 % from 66 µg/m3 in 2017-18 to 58 µg/m3 in 2024-25.
Thoothukudi, meanwhile, recorded a 54.5% reduction with the PM10 levels dropping from 123 µg/m3 in 2017-2018 to 56 µg/m in 2024-2025. The average concentration of PM10 levels in Madurai and Tiruchy dropped from 88 and 72 in 2017-18 to 57 and 61 in 2024-25 respectively.
Meanwhile, Chennai fared poorly in terms of drop in PM10 levels compared to other metropolitan cities like Mumbai (44%), Kolkata (37%), and even Delhi (15.8%). However, in terms of the actual average concentration of PM10 levels recorded, Chennai with 58 µg/m3, fared far better than Mumbai (90), Kolkata (92), and Delhi (203).
Although Chennai is now closer to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) of 60 µg/m3, experts say the progress is incremental and insufficient given the scale of urbanisation, traffic, and construction activity.
'The figures may look acceptable on paper, but the health impact remains tangible. We continue to see rising respiratory cases in urban centres like Chennai,' a senior pulmonologist at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital told TNIE.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
20 hours ago
- Deccan Herald
95.1% rural households have access to toilets: Govt survey
In a written reply in Lok Sabha, the minister quoted findings from the Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2023-24 conducted by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, which covered 17,304 villages across 729 districts in the country.
Hans India
21 hours ago
- Hans India
Swachh Bharat Mission: India's sanitation drive shows strong gains
New Delhi: India's sanitation landscape continues to evolve under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM), with significant infrastructure gains across both rural and urban areas. According to a written reply in the Lok Sabha given by Minister of State for Jal Shakti, V. Somanna, the country has constructed over 11.9 crore individual household latrines (IHHLs) and 2.6 lakh community sanitary complexes (CSCs) under SBM-Grameen since 2014. Uttar Pradesh leads with more than 2.5 crore IHHLs, followed by Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. In urban areas, SBM-Urban and its second phase have added 63.78 lakh household toilets and 6.36 lakh public and community toilet seats, with Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh among the top contributors. However, the report highlights persistent challenges in maintaining community facilities. Many CSCs suffer from poor upkeep due to unclear ownership, lack of dedicated funds, and limited awareness. Despite this, Gram Panchayats in several states are innovating—linking toilets to local businesses and conducting awareness campaigns to improve sustainability. The government has released substantial Central funds to support sanitation efforts -- Rs 28,849 crore in 2014–15 under SBM-G, peaking at Rs 21,629 crore in 2018–19, and Rs 3,622 crore in 2024–25. SBM-U has seen Rs 1,892 crore released in 2024–25, with additional allocations under the revised SNA-Sparsh model. The Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2023–24 survey, covering over 17,000 villages and 2.6 lakh households, found that 95.1 per cent of rural households have access to toilets, while 78.7 per cent have arrangements for greywater disposal. Yet, only 39.9 per cent segregate waste, and 29.4 per cent of villages have proper waste storage sheds. In terms of infrastructure, 61.4 per cent of Plastic Waste Management Units (PWMUs) and 58.5 per cent of GOBARdhan biogas plants were found functional. Urban sanitation surveys show that 4,692 Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) are certified ODF, with 1,973 achieving ODF++ status and 214 certified Water+. The government aims to sustain ODF status and promote solid and liquid waste management under SBM-G Phase II. Financial assistance of up to Rs 60 per capita is available for villages under 5,000 population, and Rs 45 for larger ones. Each block is expected to have at least one PWMU, with Rs 16 lakh allocated per unit. The mission's next phase will focus on behaviour change, technological innovation, and inclusive sanitation planning to ensure long-term impact.
Hindustan Times
21 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Minor increase in sick leaves by Air India pilots after Ahmedabad crash: Centre
NEW DELHI: There was a minor increase in instances of Air India pilots going on sick leave across all fleets after its London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, the government told the Lok Sabha on Thursday. Minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol (ANI Grab) 'Air India reported a minor increase in sick leaves reported by pilots across all fleets in the aftermath of the AI-171 accident. On 16.06.202, a total of 112 pilots reported sick, comprising 51 Commanders (P1) and 61 First Officers (P2),' minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a written statement in response to a question by Bharatiya Janata Party's Hardoi MP Jai Prakash. The MP had asked the government about remedial measures such as holding post-trauma mental health workshops to mitigate the stress of pilots and cabin crew in view of the air crash. To be sure, the minister told parliament on March 20 this year that Air India has a total of 3,280 pilots. Mohol said the DGCA has already issued a medical circular regarding mental health of flight crews and air traffic controllers (ATCOs) on 22 Feb 2023, which lays down guidelines for operators (scheduled and non-scheduled) and DGCA-empanelled medical examiners.' He added that the guidelines include 'quick and effective methods to assess mental health that can easily be performed by the DGCA-empanelled medical examiners during the Class 1/2/3 medical examination.' The government has also introduced a standalone, customised training capsule for flight crew and ATCOs to help recognise and manage the adverse effects of mental health conditions, he said. Airlines have been advised to implement this initiative, the minister said. The minister underlined that scheduled and non-scheduled operators, flying training organisations and the Airport Authority of India have been advised to have a Peer Support Programme (PSP) in place for their employees. 'The organisations are required to enable, facilitate and ensure access to this proactive and non-punitive programme that will assist and support flight crew/ATCOs in recognising, coping with and overcoming any problem,' the minister said. Since the June 12 crash, at least 15 other operational issues and serious incidents have been reported involving Air India and its low-cost arm, Air India Express. The Boeing 787 crash on June 12 was one of aviation's deadliest tragedies in recent years, which prompted comprehensive safety reviews. A preliminary report by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) has identified fuel control switches set to 'cut off' during takeoff as the main cause of the crash. Why the switches were flipped is under investigation.
